Tag: Ian Austin

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many visits Ministers of her Department have undertaken to China and Singapore since 2010; on what dates such visits took place; and what the total cost of such visits was.

Nick Gibb

Three Ministerial visits with accompanying officials have been undertaken to China and Singapore since 2010:

• Nick Gibb to China Date: 27 March to 1 April 2016 Total cost: £21,323

• Elizabeth Truss to China Date: 23-28 February 2014 Total cost: £28,884

• Michael Gove to China (as part of the Prime Minister’s delegation) and Singapore Date: 6-13 November 2010 Total cost: £3,901

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the effect of a vote to leave the EU on the cost of school trips abroad.

Nick Gibb

The Department for Education has not made any assessment of the effect that a majority leave vote in the EU Referendum would have on the cost of school trips abroad.

It is the Government’s view that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed European Union. A vote to leave the European Union would put this at risk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of alternative mechanisms to appraise the use of Orkambi in the NHS.

Nicola Blackwood

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published final technology appraisal guidance on 27 July 2016 which does not recommend Orkambi (lumacaftor-ivacaftor) for treating cystic fibrosis homozygous for the F508del mutation.

In the absence of positive NICE technology appraisal guidance, any funding decisions should be made by National Health Service commissioners, based on an assessment of the available evidence and on the basis of an individual patient’s clinical circumstances.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when and by whom the decision was taken to give heroin to heroin addicts in line with his Department’s policy set out on page 31 of Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published by his predecessor in March 2016.

Nicola Blackwood

The prescribing of injectable opioids, such as methadone or diamorphine (pharmaceutical heroin) as substitutes for illicit heroin, as outlined in the Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published in March by the then Home Secretary, has been an option for many years but since the late 1960s, prescribing of diamorphine for the management of addiction has been restricted to licensed addiction specialists.

The decision to prescribe injectable diamorphine for the treatment of dependence is a clinical matter, for a clinician to take in conjunction with the patient. Advice to guide these decisions is contained in Chapter 5 and Annex 8 of the 2007 UK Guidelines on the Clinical Management of Drug Misuse and Dependence. The guidelines advise that:

– “injectable opioid treatment may be suitable for a small minority of patients who have failed in optimised oral treatment.”;

– “clinicians providing injectable opioid treatment should encourage patients not to regard it as a lifelong treatment option and should regularly review their patients and the continuing necessity for this unusual and expensive treatment”; and

– The use of diamorphine “alone does not constitute drug treatment…it should be seen as on element or pathway within wider packages of planned and integrated drug treatment”.

The guidelines are currently being reviewed by an Expert Working Group, to take into account developments in the evidence base. In July 2016, the Expert Working Group published their draft update for consultation. The consultation has closed and the responses are being considered by the Expert Working Group.

Diamorphine is licensed as a medicine by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Clinicians wishing to legally prescribe it for the treatment of dependence need to obtain a licence for that purpose from the Home Office and to comply with all other legislation relevant to the safe management, use and supply of medicines which are controlled drugs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish Dame Louise Casey’s review into opportunity and integration without alteration or delay.

Sarah Newton

Dame Louise Casey’s independent review on boosting opportunity and integration in isolated and vulnerable communities will report to the Prime Minister and be published in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans for her Department’s reception baseline assessment to take account of pupils that move school.

Nick Gibb

When a pupil moves school, their reception baseline outcome will move with them. The Key Stage 2 outcome will be compared to the outcomes of all pupils nationally who had the same attainment in reception in order to determine how much relative progress the pupil has made. The progress outcome for the school will be created from the average relative progress of all its pupils.

The government response to the primary assessment and accountability consultation can be found online at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/297595/Primary_Accountability_and_Assessment_Consultation_Response.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-12-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to investigate whether employees of Sports Direct are paid the minimum wage.

Mr David Gauke

The Government takes the enforcement of National Minimum Wage very seriously.Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should make a complaint to the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reviews every complaint that is referred to them by the Acas helpline. Additionally, HMRC collate and analyse data from various sources in order to identify those employers who are potentially more likely to be underpaying National Minimum Wage, so that they can undertake targeted enforcement against those employers.

For reasons of confidentiality, HMRC do not divulge information relating to the affairs of an individual or company or confirm whether or not there is an ongoing enquiry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the £70 million funding towards careers in this Parliament, announced by the Prime Minister on 11 January 2016, will be spent in each of the next four years.

Mr Sam Gyimah

On 11 January 2016, my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister announced that we are committing £70 million to our careers strategy over this Parliament to continue the transformation of the quality of the careers education, advice and guidance offered to young people. This is on top of the £20 million in 2015-16 announced for careers in the 2014 Autumn Statement.

This £70 million will be spent over the next four years to 2020. We have not yet finalised how much will be spent each year or how it will be allocated but can confirm that there will be continued funding for the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to continue its excellent work. We anticipate that this will include funding to support the Enterprise Adviser Network, the Careers and Enterprise Fund, the Enterprise Passport, the CEC’s research programme and its wider activity to bring schools, colleges, business, and careers and enterprise organisations closer together, and to deliver the new mentoring campaign announced by the Prime Minister on 11 January 2016. We will make further announcements in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received on the timescale for the completion of the area review process in further education.

Nick Boles

Government will produce an evaluation of the area review programme and its potential to impact on groups protected by the Equality Act 2010. The reviews do not however, mandate action, and colleges are independent corporations, so it will be for each college’s governing body to assess the potential impact on groups protected by the Act, as part of its decision to accept or reject any recommendation requiring a change to their provision.

Each area review steering group will consider relevant data relating to current courses delivered within their area, assess the relevance of these courses to local learner and employer needs and determine how current and future demand can be best met through the recommendations of the area review.

Individual area reviews are expected to take about four months, the timescale being dependent on the number of colleges and complexity of the local issues involved in each area. The overall review process has been divided into five waves of area reviews and is scheduled to be completed by March 2017

We expect the costs of completing an area review to be met within existing budgets, with minimal additional costs to the colleges, local authorities or LEPs involved. The Departments and their agencies will undertake this work with no additional staffing. Additional costs will be minimal.

The costs arising from the recommendations of each review will be explored as part of the process. We expect the colleges, alongside local authorities and LEPs with devolved skills budgets, to consider how these costs can be met locally. Where there are costs that cannot be met, but which are essential to the successful implementation of the review, we have announced a facility for transitional funding to support this. We will provide more detail in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications to the Healthy New Towns programme were made by organisations based in the West Midlands.

Jane Ellison

The Department does not hold information on the applications to the Healthy New Towns programme.